All of which made me think about subtextual readings in general and how they can affect an audience member's feelings about a show (I distinguish subtextual readings from fanon because fanon is frequently speculation based on lack of evidence either way in canon, while subtextual readings are still based entirely on canon actions and behaviors).

Does anyone else have any strong subtextual readings from various shows?

1. Comment on this post.2. I will give you a letter.3. Think of 5 fictional characters and post their names and your comments on these characters in your LJ.

spiletta42 gave me the letter 'D'. Because she wanted to make it very easy for me.

Donna Noble (Doctor Who): I think that I fell for Donna when she calmed down on the rooftops of London and sat with the Doctor and talked with him. She gave him a moment to grieve, showed no interest in him sexually (which was nice because while I find Tennant incredibly sexy, not everyone does and it's good for the show to acknowledge that), and got miffed at him when he talked about her like she didn't matter. All the wonderful things that Donna 'becomes' in S4 she already is in that scene. Donna Noble is a good person, who is capable of standing up to (quite possibly) the most remarkable man in the universe. She's magnificent and always will be.

Dexter Morgan (Dexter): A funny and sympathetic serial killer. Before I actually saw the show, that description would have turned me off so hard. But he really is a very strong, interesting, compelling character. And, with Debra, he also has one of the few intense sibling relationships on TV that vibes as solely sibling-ekse, rather than borderline incestual. His relationship with Rita and her kids has been fascinating to watch. Brilliant show, brilliant character.

Daniel Jackson (Stargate SG-1): Oh, Daniel. SG1 is definitely 'the Daniel show' to me. Even S6 is defined in terms of his story arc. I love his mind, his passion for knowledge, his interactions with his team -- pretty much everything. I'm a canon serial monogamist -- I ship Daniel/Sha're, Daniel/Jack, and Daniel/Vala.

Darla (Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel the Series): She was the first character on-screen to show us Joss Whedon's two BtVS rules: 1) the cliche is going to be subverted and 2) the female characters are never as helpless as you think they are. She ended up getting character depth and a great arc and some really fantastic lines. Darla was amazing and tough and a pretty damn good actress. She was true to herself when she was evil and when she wasn't. She told (what she believed to be) a priest scolding her for not going to church that maybe he should have visited her (as a prostitute).

Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter): I have a bit of a weakness for the bratty nemesis who was never as important to the hero as he wanted to be (see: MacDonald, Lindsey). While I think that JKR could have done more with Draco (and, in fact, any of the themes she brought up in the first six books), I'm pretty happy with what I got in Half-Blood Prince. He's snotty and racist and listens too much to his parents... but he isn't a killer and he isn't an irredeemable monster.

School is going well -- there are two classes where I know I'm getting A's, two others where I'm pretty sure I'm getting B's, and one class where the teacher has failed to mention that letter grades exist (he just says that we get 'credit' for everything we turn in). More details possibly to follow in my school filter.

One of the things that I mentioned in my previous post is that Daniel is my One True Character for Stargate. There is no moment in canon where I disconnect from him, no moment where I don't feel like I understand him. For me, Stargate is entirely and completely Daniel's story. He is the catalyst for all of the action. He solves the Stargate, he unburies the gate of Abydos, he finds Atlantis, and he's the one who opened the door to let the Orii know that we existed.

Vala intrigued me in her first episode -- I loved her interaction with Daniel and found her character engaging. I realized that I'd fallen for her when I saw her being burned alive and felt shocky and then felt so relieved when she was brought back.

Vala is irrepressible, all licking fire and taunting wind. She's fun and light and determined to stay that way, no matter what happens to her. She's been through the hell of possession and come out of it with her sense of self intact. She owns herself, every piece, while still leaving room for change in the future. And that is something that I will always admire in a character (or a person).

This is a thing that I've noticed, something of a dividing line in how SGA is viewed -- there are people who see the show as darker than SG-1 and people who see the show as lighter (there are also people who don't watch SG-1, but they're in a different, non-comparison section).

jic and I started off the evening with an episode of Boston Legal (I love Alan Shore so much!). Then vampireborg, frostfire_17, and scatterglory arrived in time to see a second episode with us. frostfire_17 is actually the person who convinced me to give Boston Legal a try.

After that, it was time to watch the 'true science' special that was on before the premieres started. rathanylakan arrived during that, though I was too busy laughing at the things they had Amanda Tapping (who was the host) saying to note the precise time (so over the top, man).

After Sci-Fi Friday, we watched the premiere of Psych (which aired last Friday), as frostfire_17 expressed interest. Such a fun show, by the way. Very light-hearted and enjoyable. Lovely banter between the two leads.

Still not very good with actual interaction at the moment -- I'll try to respond to people in something less than an insanely long time after they commented (though that window is steadily shrinking and may already be gone) but I'm not there yet.

So, instead, I give you five things that are touching my heart at this moment:

These Two Arms -- a Xena/Gabrielle vid by killabeez. It's really beautiful and very accessible -- I haven't seen more than a handful of Xena episodes and this vid made complete emotional sense. The colors are particularly gorgeous and the relationship between the two principles is intensely lovely.

Hercules and Iolaus -- I've moved Hercules up in my netflix queue so that I can watch it in order already (I've had it up there before, but then other things took precedence and H:tLJ got shuffled on down the list. As SG-1 will be on hiatus soon, I figure I may get the time to watch it.). Because they're sweet and they're totally RST as opposed to UST, which is really nice for a break sometimes.

Sam Carter -- In my two-year crash course of SG-1 I've been indifferent to her (S1; S7), enjoyed her (S2-S3), disliked her (S4-S6) and even managed all three during various points of S8. Since her return in S9, I've discovered some deeply affectionate feelings for her. Pending further evaluation, I may now love her. As this tends to be a permanent condition once acquired, serious consideration is required before I fully commit to a position.

RENT -- Because passion is something I find intensely admirable and because Jonathan Larson really did hit on some of what I really do feel are truths about the strength of love, the fragility of life, the beauty of the ever-changing now. Because treating something sympathetically is not the same as romanticizing it. Because none of us are alone, we just think we are because we have our eyes closed, because we choose fear instead of love.

Original Recipe Boomer -- a.k.a. Hero Boomer; a.k.a. Sleeper Boomer; a.k.a. Chief's Boomer. Back during S1, I was most captured by Boomer's story. She broke my heart, desperately wanting this one thing not to be true, wanting to be human with everything inside her, so afraid of what she might to that she wanted to put a gun in her mouth. Though I'm quite fond of Sharon (a.k.a. Mother Boomer; a.k.a. Runaway Boomer; a.k.a. Helo's Boomer, but mostly Sharon), I've always been much more attached to Boomer.

Right now, Atlantis is all about the Rodney/John for me. They work better as a pair (though I have a not-so-secret fondness for Rodney/Sam, as I rewatched Redemption recently and she gets so cute and snarky with him -- "Before I take the credit for this, shouldn't it be pointing at the Stargate?" or something adorable like that. And Rodney's adorable response -- "You're very good." all sarcastic and yet completely sweet at the same time. Aw.).

On Battlestar, I'm enjoying just letting it wash over me. I want to have more of a chance to absorb the show before I start deciding what I think about it.